Directed by National Award Winning filmmaker Rahul Dholakia, RAEES promises an unabashed approach to storytelling, riveting dialogues, and power-packed performances by an ensemble of critically acclaimed talent.
Co-produced by two of India’s most innovative film and entertainment companies, Red Chillies Entertainment and Excel Entertainment, RAEES marks the companies’ second venture since they collaborated on the international super-hit Don 2. They bring to RAEES their combined creative ingenuity, already evident with the film’s gripping trailer, which broke the Internet with over 21 million views in just 24 hours of its release.
Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui talks about his role in the highly-anticipated film.
Question: How was it working with Shah Rukh?
Answer: I have to say that Shah Rukh Khan is the best co-actor. The response that he gives you while performing scenes is terrific. When I have filmed scenes with other co-stars, several times I’ve noticed that they don’t absorb or listen to your dialogues or see your expressions, and are mainly just concerned about their own performance and delivering their dialogues.
However, any appreciation I receive for Raees will be down to Shah Rukh Khan. He brought the best out in me and had a lot of respect for characters. Also, the chemistry between us is good if I can say so myself!
Question: What do you have to say about Raees?
Answer: Raees has shaped up really well and I think it could be the most remarkable film of Shah Rukh Khan’s career. His performance in the film will leave you stunned.
Question: What did you discover working with Shah Rukh Khan for Raees?
Answer: I really enjoyed filming with Shah Rukh Khan – from day one of our shoot, he told me that he would respect the purity of the character I am playing in Raees and give me the freedom to explore it how I deemed fit. We worked together to get the best out of each other’s role.
Being in sync with one another and building a strong equation and rapport is so critical in any working relationship. This also helps bring to the life the chemistry between two characters. There have been several times when big actors over shadow and over power the characters of co-stars – they cross the line as they have the attitude ‘I can do anything in a scene’. But Shah Rukh let my character evolve the way I intended it to and that was his approach throughout the entire film.
Question: What do you have to say about Shah Rukh Khans performance in Raees?
Answer: I think Raees will be Shah Rukh Khan’s best performance to date. I experienced it while shooting with him and he completely immersed himself into the skin of the character. He was so focused and serious about the character that it inspired me to be well prepared and deliver my best. It was a lot of fun to shoot with Shah Rukh Khan. You can make out Shah Rukh Khan’s hard work and commitment through his eyes.
Question: What do you have to say about Shah Rukh Khan?
Answer: I had met him by chance last year. He was going to shoot for Happy New Year and I was going to Chicago for my shoot. So, I was sitting in the lounge where I slept.
Suddenly, someone was calling me. When I opened my eyes, I saw it was Shah Rukh. I was shocked to see. We began talking and he told me he was going to New York and that we should meet when free. It was a really sweet gesture.
Question: Has failure ever let you down?
Answer: I don’t believe in failures and I’m certainly not in any rat race. My job is to focus on my work and to ensure I’m doing and delivering my best. Whether people like or dislike my films isn’t really in my hands. I can only try to do good work. And to be honest, I’ve thought of myself as a failure most of my life so the thought of failing doesn’t really affect me…! J
I’ve struggled for more than 10-12 years and I’ve made a special kind of bond with failure. So, if I ever have to face it again, so be it – for me, it will be like bumping into a friend J
Question: Are you happy with the film roles you are getting?
Answer: Everybody has to go through ups and downs that’s part and parcel of life. I’ve also seen a lot of ups and downs in my life but I’m more than happy that now I’m getting the opportunities to play my choice of roles. I’d never desired for typical hero roles in Bollywood. I only wanted to make my identity as an actor here. Thanks to our industry, which is now actually writing roles for an artiste like me. Even commercial films have roles for an actor like me so I couldn’t ask for more.
